


Never You Mind

by reddouka



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Polyamory, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, oc-insert, polyamoury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:34:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21628465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddouka/pseuds/reddouka
Summary: Maelie has a lot of things to do.First few chapters will quickly summarize her history as well as how she meets the boys, and then the real fun starts after she becomes champion.Kind of a quick retelling of Sw/Sh with some minor elements changed for arbitrary "i prefer that actually" reasons until the time skip, whenever i get to that.I'm just documenting my descent into madness, I haven't written a legit fic in over 10 years but I'm thirsty.
Relationships: Kibana | Raihan/Original Female Character(s), Nezu | Piers/Original Female Character(s), Piers/Original Female Character(s), Raihan x OC x Piers, Raihan/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 90





	1. Hammerlocke

When she first met him, it was after obtaining permission to visit the vault. Maelie couldn't help but marvel at the dragon trainer's size silently, but... Well, otherwise, he didn't seem too remarkable. Handsome, of course, but he wasn't the first handsome man she had met after starting her journey.

Galar was rather flush with attractive people, wasn't it? Especially with the tournaments at her fingertips with her rotom phone-- no. In fact, he was borderline... Gaudy. Not nearly so much as the champion, no, but with a giant hoodie with a giant grin to match, it was plain to see that he wanted to be seen.

Now... What was it she heard about insecure people? They took more selfies?

Still, his bubbly and rambunctious personality was so reminiscent of a lilipup that she was having trouble not being charmed... At least in some sense. Yes, she let him make a big show of allowing her into the vault to view the tapestries.

Sonia chattered on about the meaning of the art, and Maelie found herself staring up at the two heroes with reverence. It seemed so fitting, so natural. Why was there only one hero statue in Motostoke? Sonia seemed quite avid to get to the bottom of it, but Maelie stayed behind.

Just a bit longer...

"They're not gonna move if you stay here," comes a chipper tone. Lips twitch with mild displeasure, and Maelie turned to the dragon trainer. Her head tilts this way and that, looking the confident man over once more. Okay, well... Maybe he had reason to be confident. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he just didn't see her as a threat. Not yet.

He seems caught off guard when she doesn't say anything in return. Even more so when she hefts her bag and trots past him to leave.

Maybe she was cold, but when she looked back at him... He gave such a ridiculous wide smile that her face flushed with awkward heat, and she looked away once again. That was no good. No good at all!

The young trainer's pace picked up, and she jogged the rest of the way out of the vault without looking back again. That was too much. Way too much. A huff from her nose as she forced herself to calm down and continue with her journey.

Perhaps it was for the better when she didn't look back again. If she had, she may have noticed how his smile widened even further, or seen the way he immediately went to post something to his Chatter account. It was doubly fortuitous that she wasn't even aware of his account, nor what he posted while wearing that shitty, obnoxious grin.

"Pretty girls always pass through here! Don't be shy... <3"

* * *

Sweet laughter fills the air of Postwick, pale cheeks flushed with warm color as an eager family burries a head of pink hair under a pile of arms. Maelie's first day to be heading out as a pokemon trainer, years late thanks to some health difficulty. She was nervous- Arceus, she was shaking in her boots, but... But! But, but, but she wanted nothing more than to explore Galar with her pokemon. Her mother had been kind enough to gift her a scorbunny as her first partner, back when she first wanted to take on the league. She didn't have an endorsement _just_ yet, but it would come in time. It would come in time...

* * *

"Let's see... The Hammerlocke boutique should be right here...?"

The troubling thing with town maps was that they didn't really show the _town_ so much as the entire region itself. It was great for a journey across the region, much less so for finding your way around once you were in a destination.

There's a giddy trill from a gooey little Milcery orbiting Maelie's head, and with a glance up towards it, she sees the store.

"At last!" she cheers, bounding towards the sliding glass doors. "Thanks so much, Creampy!" Red light absorbs the little pokemon just before the doors close once again. Once inside, Mae doesn't waste any time going through the clothes, bright pink eyes bright with delight.

Though she had just escaped what she perceived as a near predatory gaze from the 8th gym leader (someone she didn't have to deal with for quite a while yet, thank the Gods) the young trainer seemed to have forgotten her nerves as soon as her eyes set on...

"Oh my god, you guys have E~on!" The little fashionista squealed, spinning in her spot. The cutest brand in all of Galar! This was just what her dreary outfit needed! No more plain whites and hot pinks for her! She was going full pastel, baby!

The Lovely Nightmare jacket was perfect for her aesthetic, and Maelie couldn't help but admire herself in the full length mirror as she tried it on. The little pokemon decals were so fetch, and somehow even the gengar blended perfectly with the baby pink.

"So this is where you ran off to, huh? Clothes more interesting than Leon's rival, himself?"

...

...

One blink, two, then a scream loud enough to scare off any rookiedee within 100 meters.

Dark hands clap over glossed lips to muffle the sound quickly, and when the clerk looks over, Maelie has forced herself to be silent, and the opposing man's hands off her face. Maybe that wasn't quite the best idea, seeing as she was feeling her cheeks warm once again.

Instinctively, her eyes dart for the exit, though it was blocked by a sturdy chest.

"Hey! Hey now! Why do you look like that?! I'm not going to kidnap you!" Raihan hissed, stooping to be closer to her level as his hands shoved themselves into the pockets of his jacket. "That's so rude! You're hurting my feelings here."

Maelie's gaze is forced to meet his, body rigid as she grips the straps of her pack tight. Her mouth feels dry, and any attempts to summon a will to speak has the words die in her throat before she can even wet her lips.

"Um..."

* * *

_To catch a pokemon, you must first weaken it so that its will to fight capture is waned._

"Well that doesn't seem very nice, now does it, June?" Mae hummed, leaning against the stony rise that passed through the grass on either side of her. Her trusty scorbunny chirruped in agreement, relaxing on the sun-warmed surface of the rock while looking over her shoulder. The good thing about growing up in a small country town was that wild pokemon were... Rarely an issue. They were so used to human traffic on the route just to get from one tiny town to another that they seemed more eager for a treat than a fight.

"Lessee.... Here... We can get a wooloo... A rookiedee.. A Yamper, or a Nickit! Not bad pickin's for the start of an adventure, huh Junie B?" Maelie grinned widely at her lapine partner, and he hopped to his feet with excitement. A squeal and tiny embers were left behind whenever he lifted his feet. Maelie clapped the tips of her fingers together, bouncing on her own toes with excitement. She pushed herself off the stone wall, and pivoted to dart into the grass, Scorbunny not far behind her.

* * *

"Look, miss, I'm really sorry for scarin' you!"

Mae stared anywhere but at the man in front of her, fighting the persistent blush in her cheeks as she tapped on the top of a cafe's lacquered wooden table. This was embarrassing. After the incident at the boutique this-- this _boy_ insisted on accompanying her anywhere she went. The battle cafe was just two doors over! He _insisted_ on making up the scare to her- both times.

How had he known that he startled her in the vault?

Maelie sipped sullenly at her cocoa, eyes narrowed as her gaze fixated on the man behind the counter. He was distracting battling some bloke that had come in, so she wasn't worried about being caught.

"-- so much. How can I make it up to you?"

Bright pink eyes pin the dragon tamer in his seat, and she straightens in hers. Don't be cold, Mae. He'll just insist on pursuing you, since he seems to be intrigued by anyone that doesn't give him the time of day.

"My name is Maelie, for starters. I'm no miss!" Her sudden, if quiet voice seemed to have stopped him in his tracks. She felt her hands tremble, and knew that her voice would be wavering if she spoke any more. She couldn't stop now, however.

"This is more than enough to make it up to me, Mr. Raihan. Thank you for the drink. If that s.. If that satisfies you, I would like to make my way to Stow-on-Side now."

He gives her such a vacant stare in response that she could just _feel_ her face about to explode.

"It's nearly nightfall now, Mis-- Maelie. Mae. Can I call you Mae? I'm going to--" He continued to prattle on, and the young woman's head fell with a distinct _thud_ into the hard surface of the table.

She was a trainer. A trainer! She got her endorsement and everything, why did he insist on treating her like a fragile tourist?

* * *

"I'd like to endorse you, Maelie."

The words come as a shock from the woman beside her, and Mae's head whips to face her. A gym leader wanted to endorse her?

"Wuh--"

"I mean, I might as well, right? You're already here, even though you haven't earned a single badge. You want to challenge the league someday, right?"

Maelie's wide eyes dart aside, then back to Nessa.

"Well, yeah, but..." "No buts! I want to see what you've got in you! You have to make it to the finals so that I can show you my true power, too!"

Mae's brow furrowed, biting down on her lower lip as she struggled not to snort. "Nessie, I have watched you battle all the time on-"

She's not even allowed to finish before a paper is being pressed into her hands. Maelie's shoulders stiffen in surprise, and she looks down at the envelope, then back to the raging wave and quick friend.

"That's not what I meant. You'll find out when you take me on in the Gym Challenge!" Nessa assures her with so much vigor that Maelie finds it hard to protest.

Why would she? This is what she wanted... Right?

* * *

_Surely_ not every town had an inn with rooms set aside specifically for trainers taking on the gym challenge, right? That would be unreasonable, seeing as nearly every town had a gym besides Postwick and Wedgehurst. Maelie wasn't entirely sure that would be economically viable. There were other people that traveled besides gym challengers! She knew! She'd been one of them!

Yet here she was, in a repurposed chapel with elegantly carved stone embelishments, letting Raihan talk the clerk into getting her a room for the night. Were Gym Leaders always this pushy? From her experience... More or less- at least the ones she seemed to run into more than once.

Maybe she should visit Hulbury before she went to Stow-on-Side. Nessa would probably let her stay with her...

... Was she really considering imposing on one gym leader to avoid another? Apparently!

Maelie heaves a quiet sigh, running a hand down her face as she watches the concierge pass a card key to the dragon gym leader.

Well, at least she wouldn't have to room with him. He lived here, there was no reason he would even try. Though she said this, she couldn't help but fear the worst.

Her nerves were for naught, for as soon as she had the magnetized key in her grasp, he was waving back at her from the door, smile as wide as before.

... Maybe he was just nice... Oh Mae, your mum put too many sinister ideas in your head. It's no wonder you're only just now on your journey.

As Maelie made her way to her room- a cozy, small and empty little thing, she was glad he didn't try to impress her with some fancy suite. However... Maelie couldn't help but wonder if she'd have met Raihan had she actually started when the rest of her classmates did. Would she have even been able to handle it? No... definitely not. She was much better now, and yet dealing with Raihan was exhausting even in small bursts. There was no way she'd have been able to have met him so frequently as she would probably have while taking the gym challenge at the same time as him. Or maybe he was older...? Couldn't be _that_ much older with how he acted, though.

Ah, well. These were the musings of someone that wouldn't have to worry about such silly things in the morning.


	2. Fangirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> people always draw raihan with short track shorts, but i see him with his low riding basketball shorts. i know who he is. he's that guy.
> 
> also some piers love because he's soft. marnie is also very important.

One doesn't notice the stress of days camping out at odd hours until they have a legitimate mattress. This was the mood that Maelie found herself in when she woke up- rather late, actually. Just a glance at her rotom phone told her that there was only half an hour before she had to clear out, lest she get charged another night. Or Raihan did. She didn't know the specifics of this.

How inconsiderate did she feel like being today? Not particularly-- besides, she still needed to get to Stow-on-Side. The trainer stretched out on the mattress before rolling over and out of the bed to get ready. After some consideration, she released Doxx, her Toxticitry, and June to help her pack- with treats promised afterward, of course.

It was quick work with some helping hands (and the odd melody from the gleeful musician of her team) and she was making her way down to the lobby with ten minutes to spare. The challenger returned the card key, and with a polite farewell to the day clerk she made her way out.

* * *

"Oh no, I don't know if I could take him--"  
"I insist! He's a rambunctious fellow, perfect for an upcoming trainer!"

Maelie sighed in defeat, mulling over the tough decision of who to swap out when it came to caring for the new member in her little lineup of oddballs. Noodle, her Boltund, nuzzled her with his cheek as though knowing the inevitable future.

She already had an electric type pokemon, but the double typing would be undeniably useful. On top of that, this Toxel's nature was just what she was looking for... As of yet, all the members in her team were rather mellow. They were cool under pressure, but sometimes she just wanted to rock out, you know? An Amped Up Toxticitry would be perfect...

... Noodle knew. Maelie gave a rueful smile and hugged the big hound 'round his neck, pressing a kiss to his furry forehead. "I love you, Noodle! We'll still play lots, I promise! Keep the others in check, alright?" The dog gave a happy bark, whip tail wagging even as she called him back to the pokeball only to have it transported to the box through her phone. That decided, she looked back to the infantile Toxel.

"Now, what should we name you, Mister...?"

* * *

Naturally. Maelie had to go past the Vault to get to Route 6. She couldn't help but duck in again to see the tapestries just one more time. Maybe take a photo on her phone. She was raising it to frame the images within the viewfinder when a wide smile popped up just as the shutter went off.

Maelie jumped with a squeal, reeling back from the face that had invaded her photo. A photobomb?!

"How old are you!!" she barked before realizing who was before her. Ah! Raihan?!

"A free one for the road!" he jeers cheerfully, laughing at her outburst. The woman's cheeks flame, eyes widening as she struggles to muster a glare.

"Oh, you....!"

... ...

Okay. Maelie had no idea how she was in a cafe with the dragon tamer yet _again,_ but she had to admit he was rather smooth. This was entirely the opposite direction of Route 6 from the vault. It was so difficult to turn down free food...

"I really should stop letting you spend money on me..." She mumbled, mostly to herself. Predictably, Raihan laughed and waved it off.

"Consider it one of the perks of being with the best!"

Bright pink eyes affix him with a dubious gaze and a slow blink. A clear challenge was in her eyes, to which his lips only spread into a wider grin. _Come on._

The check comes, and two hands slam into the polished leather. Slender fingers slip under to grip the cover firmly and flick it from under the man's own heavy hand. His own blues widen in surprise, mouth falling open as Maelie slipped her own money into the bill after just a glance at it.

She didn't spend _all_ her money on designer clothes. Just most of it!

Before Raihan could even think to protest more, she was running to the front to deliver the money directly before he could stop her, and then slipping out while he was _eating her dust._

A jingling laugh is all he heard from her retreating back, and when he finally had the sense to follow her out she was already gone. How'd she get away so fast?!

* * *

"What do you mean I can't check in?!"

Hop was causing a scene with some other folks near the concierge, and Maelie couldn't help but tilt her head. He... Had a pokemon team, right? If Team Yell wanted to fight so bad, why didn't he already...

Taking it upon herself, the young woman occupied the goons until their... ring leader came? They had the same colors.

"Sorry, my fans causing trouble again aren't they? Carry on, you." Maelie's gaze flit to the diminutive girl.

... Oh no. She loved her. She was perfect, and perfectly apologetic too. Next thing she knew, she was watching the cool headed girl sulk after a loss.

Maelie almost wished she threw the match.

"Let's walk to the stadium together?"

* * *

The past few days had been a blur. Since meeting and beating Raihan (to a check) so many things had gone on that Maelie just... Found herself coasting through it. From that white haired brat, Bede, being an absolute terror and getting himself kicked out of the league, to revealing that the two heroes' weapons were _pokemon,_ to getting another two gym badges rather breezily, Mae found herself lacking in free time.

She was incredibly grateful when it was found that the path to Spikemuth was closed off by a sheet of _metal,_ of all things. Was the town just a giant garage?

Regardless, Mae took the time to just. Sit in front of the closed entrance and take a bit of a nap. Just a small one. It was hard to get any _decent_ sleep with all the clammering going on over the situation, after all.

One micronap later, the pink haired fashionista decided to explore the grass south of the entrance, wondering what pokemon she might run into there. Before she could even take a step into it, however, a small voice was calling her over.

"Marnie!!" Maelie couldn't help but gush, bounding to the younger girl with excitement. This was the wrong move-- Marnie recoiled like she'd been bitten by a rabid Yamper. Mae paid that no mind, however, leaning over the fence to meet her. "What's up?"

"So, uh-" It seemed that Mae's enthusiasm seemed to have buffeted the wind from Marnie's sales. "I like, live here so... I know another way to get in... If you want." Her voice was trailing off as she spoke, as though regretting the decision to invite Mae closer.

She saw that tiny smile though. Teens were too easy to read- tryin' to be all tough 'n shit but actually shy. It just endeared Mae to her more. Ah, how she remembered those days fondly!

_Some would argue she was still among them._

"A'course, there's one condition." Ah!

"Naturally! What do you want, Marnie?" Maelie couldn't help but coo like she was speaking to Noodle once again.

"Battle me. I gotta make sure you're up to snuff for my big bro. If you win, I'll show you."

* * *

The result was always the same, but Maelie couldn't help but feel bad for barreling through the league. It was like beating down kids, but... This was her first time, too. She couldn't let a soft spot for someone like Hop make her look a fool.

Luckily, the plucky guy didn't seem all that fussed about it. In fact, he decided to pin Maelie as his rival, despite that being the _last_ thing she wanted. Any protests went unheard over proud jubilations of the boy's big brother, though. Leon, huh...? No wonder this kid was desperate to beat her- she was around the same age, even if far less experienced.

"Well, hm. Why not race me back to Motostoke, then?" she asked. She was in no rush, and she'd love to give this kid at least a _few_ wins under his belt, even if they were shallow. He'd been barelling his way through getting badges ever since she left Postwick anyway, so she kind of doubted he'd have much issue with... Kabu, was it?

... She didn't really have anything for a fire-type gym...

* * *

It was a wonder Maelie didn't hear anything outside Spikemuth. Even with as empty as it was, it was... _loud._ Not in a bad way, mostly. Even she found herself with her head bobbing to the beat of distant and cacaphonous music as she healed her pokemon after the bout with Marnie, and pawning off some of the treasures she found her pack weighed down by.

 _Yanno what would sound grand right about now?_ She mused to herself, retreiving Doxx's pokeball to release him onto the street. He blended right in with the punk metal aesthetic this town seemed drenched in- no wonder she thought it may as well be a garage.

It took all of .2 seconds for Doxx to notice the beat, and strum along with it. The addition of his harmony to the distant melody was just what Maelie needed to get in the groove- especially when she quickly learns that most of the town seems to be for the run down Stadium and Gym Challenge.

It was almost cute that all of Team Yell was just a bunch of Marnie's brother's goons protecting the baby sister. This guy must have some kind of complex, huh? Still, seeing as they posed no real threat to Maelie since the beginning, beating them back was a simple affair.

She looked damn good doing it too, if she may say that for herself. She loved punk rock, and their spaces! In spite of her overly soft exterior, she loved the contrast it gave to the grunge and grime of a gym like this. She could almost take a picture.

In fact, she did, with Doxx posing appropriately behind her. She'd just so happened to make it to the end of the tunnel, so she managed to sneak in Piers in the shot as well. Hehe!

As she approached, she'd noticed just how freeform the music actually was, and she couldn't help but marvel- especially as Piers seemed to adjust his set to address her. She'd just been waiting until the song was over!

Maybe he noticed, but most likely he was too true a musician to leave a performance unfinished. The crowd of Team Yell grunts didn't part until he seemed to finish his set, and Maelie quietly admired the way his thin chest heaved for air, and yet he seemed completely in his element.

Piers said something about Dynamaxing, but Maelie was far too distracted trying to figure out how much of his face was painted, and how much of that punk charm was natural to realize what he was saying. That is, until the last of their pokemon were released and Piers made no move to Dynamax.

Oh dip! An old fashioned battle then! And Mae thought she had only _just_ started having fun.


	3. No

One ecstatic cheer for a stranger’s obstagoon later, Piers found himself sullenly returning the now exhausted pokemon. Maelie herself was celebrating with her ruby swirl Alcremie Creampy, high fiving both of her tiny hands with her own.

Then, she lifted the tiny thing to spin it with glee. “We did it!” One more gym badge to go!

* * *

“One, two. One, two. One two. Keep your eye on that anchor! Very good, Maelie.”

The pink haired girl stumbled for a moment as she ceased spinning, blinking away the following and well deserved vertigo. Despite her dizziness, a proud little smile graced her features and she hopped to attention immediately.

“Once more. If you continue at this rate, you may perhaps be able to find yourself a rainbow alcremie.”

A dreamy laugh. As if! She’d probably get sick before that happened.

* * *

An awkward clear of a throat reminded Mae that she wasn’t alone, and all of her energy seemed to dissipate at once. Effectively cowed, she turned to Piers with her head lowered, cheeks dusting with awkward color.

It was impossible not to feel apologetic, for both parties, but Piers had the wherewithal to continue onward.

“I know we can’t Dynamax here, but I hope you had fun anyway.”

It almost felt like a jab, though it was said so gently any onlooker would find it difficult to see it as such. However, for Mae, her cheeks only reddened darker at being reminded of her earlier exclamations.

Naturally, Piers floundered, unsure of just what had made the young woman so reserved. She’d seemed so excitable just until then.

“Uh— anyway, sorry for the trouble my trainers’ been causin’ ya. I’ll tell ‘em to knock it off and open the door to the city again, since that’s why it’s been so empty.”

Huh? Oh yeah, he commented on that, hadn’t he...? Right before the battle. Mae had totally not been paying attention.

There’s another moment of expectant silence between them.

“Ehm.. the badge...” Mae reminds, softly. It’s Piers’ turn to start, but he recovers quickly. Without so much as a flush, he offers the circle fragment to her to fit into her ring, to which he was rewarded with a gentle smile.

“Aw. That’s almost cute.”

Both swivel their heads to see the diminutive young lady that approached. Maelie perked immediately upon seeing Marnie, bouncing on her toes lightly.

“Marnie!” Her light voice was overshadowed by another, more masculine one. Oh! Piers!

Right, this was Marnie’s big brother! She’d completely ignored that up until now. Not forgot. Just ignored. She could feel pale eyes boring into her, knowing he was likely confused as to why she greeted his sister so familiarly.

There was nary an explanation before Marnie had captured her brother’s attention again, demanding a battle and rebuking an invitation to become a gym leader. Mae had an inkling she was supposed to take this moment to slink off back to Hammerlocke to the next badge, but...

Mae made her way towards the stage, and subsequently the path behind it to follow a few goons to the fenced off area meant for observation.

Okay, perhaps _made_ was a bit too lackadaisical to describe the action. She straight bolted before anyone could notice, let alone stop her.

Naturally, Piers noticed, but he was too busy wrangling in his little sister’s overbearing, if subtle, insistence to battle. Of course he would oblige- if she didn’t want to be the gym leader, then she must prove herself to become the champion by earning her badge fair and square.

Erm... The unfamiliar cheering to his right was still a bit jarring, though. Well, he was glad someone else was cheering on for his sister, even if they too were a contestant.

It didn’t seem like Maelie didn’t have an effect on Marnie, either. It was clear to see that the stoic girl was struggling to maintain her characteristic composure on top of being watched by a colleague that was cheering for her, of all things.

Of course, Marnie was a fantastic trainer in her own right, so she handily beat down the team Piers curated for his league challenge. And, naturally, Piers pulled his sister into a congratulatory hug.

“Bro...! I’m not a kid anymore! A’ course I beat you!” Marnie protested, managing to sound exasperated despite her smile. This, of course, was wiped away to be replaced with an intense blush when she noticed starry amaranthine eyes still present.

“Maelie?!”

“You did fantastic, Marnie! Absolutely stellar! You’re going to make it to the finals in no time, I just know it! And so early too, I—“

Marnie pushes her brother off her forcibly as Maelie rambles on, marching up to the older woman and raising a hand. She hesitates, herself even unsure with what she had even planned to do with it (probably just cover up the mouth those embarrassing words came from, but this wasn’t her brother) and dropping it readily.

Instead, the young teen heaves a sigh, arms crossing before looking away pointedly from the pink haired adult before her.

“‘snot like it was anything special. Since you ended up stayin’ here so long why not... Why not have dinner with us before we go to Hammerlocke?”

Us? Us... Maelie stared stupidly at the tiny girl before her gaze slowly slid to Piers. He gave a lazy wave. Her smile froze in place, eyes wide before she looked quickly back to the aqua eyes that she was actually familiar with.

“Oh, I couldn’t impose..! Don’t just invite people to your home willy nilly like that, Marnie! I’m sure your brother—“

Charmed by her apparent insistence on not going and trying to be considerate while clearly still fawning over his younger sister, Piers took this moment to interject.

“I don’t mind.”

... Aaahhh fuck.

* * *

“Maelie, you can’t avoid getting your trainer’s license forever! The League starts next month!”

Maelie groaned and turned over in her bed. She hadn’t just woken up- she hadn’t even gone to sleep. She looked a right mess, and was sure such an image of her would not age well. Did she really want to be a trainer? Sure, she loved pokemon, but the League Challenge was something far more competitive than she was prepared for.

“Maybe I don’t want to be a trainer...” she mulled, almost sullen.

Her mother didn’t seem to hear, the door already closing with a decisive click behind her. Mae was certain being a breeder would be much easier.

...

She still needed to get a license, though.

* * *

“Thank you so much for the meal, Piers. I owe you one! I really ought to get going, though. Raihan isn’t going to beat himself!”

One awkwardly quiet dinner in which both present adults already knew all the information that might be interesting to the other (they had just battled) later, Maelie was finally able to escape. That didn’t mean she didn’t notice the awfully smug meowth grin Marnie was giving her, though.

The little cretin knew it would make Maelie uncomfortable, didn’t she?! Was this payback for treating her like the child she was?! Dastardly!

Even more so knowing that Marnie was probably just tired of being underestimated and not taken seriously, so Mae couldn’t even hold it against her. Blast that sweet, misunderstood little brat. Mae loved her.

It wasn’t like Piers seemed any more comfortable than she was, at least. Perhaps it was an attack on the both of them from Marnie. It wasn’t like he tried to keep Mae over.

... A blessing, and a curse. On one hand, she was grateful. On the other, she couldn’t help but feel like a nuisance.

“Ohhh! Bugger me!” The short woman wailed in the empty city, kicking the metal frame that the shutter door slid down. Fat lot of good that did- she fucking stubbed her toe.

Piers listened curiously at the frustrated scream he heard in the distance, turning to look at his rather proud looking sister.

“That wasn’t very punk rock of you, Marnie.”

“Ouch, bro. Ouch.”

* * *

For all the shit it got, the Wild Area wasn’t so bad. It was exactly what it said on the tin; a wild area. Maelie, for one, loved being able to see so many different types of pokemon cohabitating the same environment, depending on the weather.

The littlest thing really could decide an ecosystem, huh? One moment, you were lazily jogging past some eager to greet purrloin, the next you caught the attention of— was that a bisharp. That was a fucking bisharp.

Nope, nope, nope, nope, _nope_!

The rabid little thing lost interest quickly enough, but Maelie didn’t want to take any chances, no- OW. Her foot caught on the edge of a den, and Mae found herself sliding down the muddy hill face first thanks to her momentum. She wanted to cry...

* * *

_Sniff_.

Just because she couldn’t hold a grudge against Marnie didn’t mean it didn’t hurt her feelings. The more Mae thought about it, the more betrayed and humiliated she felt. Unfortunately, she only had the luxury of thought while seated on a Corviknight taxi headed towards Hammerlocke. She’d stay the night at the pokemon center, have her Frosmoth ice her toe, and continue on with her life.

She could just never see Piers again. Marnie was still up in the air.

When she could see the skyline of the medieval looking city loom closer, Mae quickly wiped at her eyes to dispel any remaining moisture. She almost looked normal when the cabbie landed.

“Thank you so much, sir,” she murmured, offering the man some coin as she hopped down.

“No need, lass. You’re going to battle Raihan soon, yeah? Best of luck to ya!”

Her skin burned all the way up to her ears. She was getting recognized already?! Well, she guessed it was the last leg of the League. Stillshe managed a smile and waved him off before ducking into the center to get herself a nice, fat nap.

* * *

Maelie winced every time she sent her Snom, Locke, out into battle and he was knocked back with a single attack. Each time after, she would spoil him with curry and nurse his wounds with care.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Locke...” Tears crystallized on his icy carapace as she gently bundled his sore body. This was awful. She’d been so eager to get a Frosmoth she hadn’t even thought to train the grub properly before throwing him into matches.

This was all her doing...

He could barely even fare in the lower leveled regions of the Wild Area!

Perhaps she’d been too ambitious, too arrogant. Now this poor grub was paying the price. Naturally, he didn’t seem all that chuffed for the experience of getting beat down all the time, either. His tiny, beady eyes glared away from her even as she swaddled him.

Maybe she should look into a different ice type. She was being too careless. She didn’t want to get her Snom any more hurt than he already was...

In the mean time, she would put him to the rear of her party, allowing him the experience of watching from the sidelines rather than jumping into the fray himself. He was clearly too young for that. What was she thinking...

Riddled with guilt, Mae crawled into her sleeping bag while leaving Locke out of his ball to enjoy the comfort of the blankets she had wrapped him in. Ice pokemon or not, it was only natural to like the feeling of being embraced, right? His natural chilliness would only be insulated by the cloth.

Imagine Mae’s surprise when the next morning, the tiny grub had buried himself under her arm instead.

Maybe she’d try again...


	4. cyberbully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mae is paranoid and raihan is too forward for his own good

_Ping!_

_New Chatter Direct Message!_

_Will you accept?_

Arceus, what time was it? Maelie opened bleary eyes to read the screen of her phone. Who in the world would be DMing her at this hour? Someone she didn't follow back, too... Or else it wouldn't be asking if she'd accept one. Why had she set it like that again?

Oh yeah. No one was supposed to be able to find it. She never expected randos to message her first, but... Well, to be fair, Maelie also had liberal use of the block button. No big harm there. Still, it was... Ten in the morning. She didn't have to be anywhere at ten in the morning. "Accept it," she groaned into the pillow.

🐦 [10:22am] **@dragonheart** : hey bby girl when am i gonna see u today?

Maelie stares blankly at the screen, eyes narrowing as she struggles to make out the face on the tiny icon. Her eyes closed for a few more seconds, thinking them still fatigued, before she opened them again. Who was this? That was Raihan's photo as a profile picture, wasn't it? Did one of his fangirls-- but then why--

🐦 [10:34am] **@maedayparade** : ?????

She starts to drift off again when her phone chirps at her once more.

🐦 [10:40am] **@dragonheart** : ur breakin my heart  
🐦 [10:40am] **@dragonheart** : i kno u got the badge from piers yesterday  
🐦 [10:41am] **@dragonheart** : _typing...  
_🐦[10:41am] **@maedayparade** : shut up 4 sec

Mae sat up, staring into the middle distance for approximately ten seconds before her phone went off again.

🐦[10:43am] **@dragonheart** : how many sec

She ignored it and rolled out of the futon she'd comandeered briefly from the pokemon center, tussling her already mussed hair and gesturing for the phone to follow her. She made her way to the bathroom, grabbing her toothbrush to brush her teeth haphazardly while she reached for her rotomphone.

Safely in her hands, she began to scroll down the feed to see if she even recognized this person. They posted a lot of Raihan photos, huh? Ah, they even had one of him training. Were they just reposting from his pokesnap? Maybe the bio would have more information to glean from...

...

...

She should have read the captions. Was she reading that correctly? Her eyes brightened with lucidity as she looked over the same two lines over and over, then noticed the icon of verification. The follower count-- what the. Who the. Why the.

**How did he find her Chatter account?!**

* * *

"I don't even know what I'd do with onneeeee," Mae whined pitifully, though the end trailed into a rather unflattering groan. Sonia laughed, and shook her head.

"C'mon! All you have to do is check it when I tell you to, so I don't have to send the photos of my findings to like ten different people all the time. Pretty please?"

"Woe is you for having friends that care about your job."  
"Maelie! I don't want to rehash the same thing over and over, okay? You barely even have to do anything."  
"Fine, but I'm finding as many purrugly accounts as I can, and I'm going to chirp them all."  
"Really? I. I mean it _is_ your account."  
"Damn straight it is."

* * *

**Sonia.**

Maelie narrowed her eyes at the woman's profile in her own followed list, feeling betrayed. Still, she couldn't be sure. It wasn't like she was hard to find or anything. She had her name in the bio and everything.

... That was safe, right? Well, just to ensure she didn't dole out undeserved wrath on friends, she decided to check with the man himself.

🐦[10:52am] **@maedayparade** : how did u find me  
🐦[10:54am] **@dragonheart** : sonia showed me a pic from ur page and i just kinda stalked u  
🐦[10:55am] **@maedayparade** : sounds fake  
🐦[10:55am] **@dragonheart** : ok she straight gave it to me bc i asked  
🐦[10:56am] **@maedayparade** : why tf would you ask that still sounds sketch af

It was decided. Sonia was a hack and a traitor, and gave the information to Raihan for some dark purposes. Were they planning a surprise? It seemed in character for Sonia, but Raihan? Hmm... She needed an impartial jury, judge, and executioner.

Naturally, Maelie solved this problem the way any trainer with sound mind would. She referred to her pokemon.

* * *

"Hm. Yes, June, you are right. Why have a berry if one is not going to eat it? However, I never said we weren't going to eat it. Just cook it!"

The Raboot humored her by looking shocked and apalled at the idea of cooking a perfectly good berry. Jay, her corvisquire, cooed and beat his wings to stir up the air- and consequently, the fire under the pot Mae was currently crouched in front of.

"Too true, Jay, too true. We can't cook any decent meal with a flame so low. No wonder Junie B is distressed."

* * *

One (in)decisive trial later, Mae gave up understanding men entirely and decided to barrel straight to the gym. No need for thinking! Just doing! The bastard was probably trying to fuck her up, anyway. After all, at this point, there weren't many challengers left. At least not that she could glean from the lack of familiar faces making their way back to Hammerlocke. Maybe she should take a gander at the roster to see who was still in the running.

Bad idea to do while walking, turns out. With her head bowed, Mae didn't notice the man waving for her attention until he nearly clotheslined her. _Nearly._ She ducked, just in time, only to find herself crouched in front of the man of the hour himself.

"Uh."  
"Not quite the greeting I--"

He was wise to stop the taunt there. Maybe he could see the look in her eye, and the position she was in for a perfect strike.

"Please stand up."

Right. So.... Right. Maelie straightened her legs, quietly tucking her phone back in her pocket. Raihan gave a wolfish grin. "See anything you like?"

Maelie promptly turned back around and left- something she realized she was doing often around this man. He laughed, and followed her.

"How'd you know the gym challenge wasn't here?"

... Say what now?

Luckily, once Maelie had gotten the hang of the format she wasn't prepared for, Raihan's challenge, and his team were quite readily beaten down. It helped that she was seething the entire way over the man's teasing. Why did he think that was funny? Was he trying to get her to mess up? He was probably used to all the other people that fawned over him with a glint of that stupid cute fang of his.

Ugh!

"Creampy! Max Starfall!" Maelie snapped, glaring daggers at Raehan through the vicious shine of the attack while his Daruladon began to tilt from exertion. Damn straight. That's what you _get_ for trying to make her fawn over you instead of beat your ass! How many girls threw a match like that?! How many _boys?!_ This Raihan guy had no--

"Oh well! That was-- Why are you looking at me like that? Are you mad at me...?"

His confusion had all the wind from her sails swept away like a pelipper just decided to use tailwind. Maelie's shoulders slumped all at once. Had she gotten worked up over nothing? No, right? No?

Grudgingly, Mae trudged to the center of the pitch to give Raihan a properly sportsman-like handshake, brushing off her previous misgivings. She _did_ have a habit of being paranoid. She had no idea what Raihan wanted. Maybe she should have asked, first.

"It was a good beat, baby gir--"  
" _Don't._ "  
"...? Princess, then?"

Flames took over Maelie's face, and her body trembled as she sucked in a slow breath. She was quick to release Raihan's grip, wiping her hand on her uniform shorts as the palm began to become clammy. Her jaw set, uncertain.

"Thanks for the battle," she grit out, though not with venom. Her heart felt like a digging buneary, and she was sure her head was going to float away without her.

Robotically, the trainer turned and marched back to the locker rooms before she could hear back from Raihan. It was too late. She knew it was impossible that he didn't see that flush, but Arceus she wasn't going to let him tease her for it.

* * *

"Hey Princess, how's daddy's beautiful girl?"

Maelie grinned at her father with glee, running up to him and crashing into his midsection as his arms opened wide for her.

"Daddy! I missed you!! Lorelei won't play with me! Wanna color?"

She's awarded with a patient laugh, carried to the nearby table where an assortment of paper and crayons lay.

"Sure thing, darling. What would you like me to draw for you today?"  
"Maelie!"  
"You?"  
"No!!! Like a princess! You told me my name means princess, so I want you to draw one!"  
  


* * *

🐦[7:08pm] **@dragonheart** : so ur a real life princess huh  
🐦[7:08pm] **@dragonheart** : i can keep a secret  
🐦[7:15pm] **@maedayparade** : ur so fucking cheesy  
🐦[7:17pm] **@dragonheart** : im not the one with an @ thats my name but punny  
🐦[7:17pm] **@maedayparade** : u rite. its so much worse.  
🐦[7:18pm] **@dragonheart** : ouch. wheres that bite when i see u?

Mae can't help but laugh, closing the app for her own peace of mind to text Hop instead. He'd insisted on getting her number so that she could find him 'whenever you want a challenge.' Alright, silly boy. She was in a good mood now, so she may as well use the energy for something productive.

Maelie finds herself in a bit of a back and forth with Raihan for the next couple of days. While she's being active on Chatter, she may as well find the other gym leaders, too... Just to keep up with them. She quite liked them as people, after all, and it wasn't like she wasn't friends with at least... one of them.

Naturally, Nessa followed back. It didn't keep Maelie's cheeks from warming at the notification of **@naiadnessie** following her. A much bigger surprise was a certain **@SpikemuthPiers** did too. Maelie stared at it for what felt like an hour, slowly clicking on the profile to scroll down.

Yep. That sure was verified. She'd checked before she followed, but _still._

... That was enough Chatter for a lifetime. Maelie would lose her shit if Piers decided to DM her-- wait, wasn't she mad at him? For... For...

Fuck it, she knew it was all Marnie's fault, anyway, and she wasn't going to--

🐦[10:44pm] **@SpikemuthPiers** : happy to see no bad blood. sorry Marnie played you like that.

Okay.

"Delete Chatter."  
_roger roger!_

Time for bed.

* * *

The semi-finals came too soon, but Maelie recognized just about everyone there, at least. That was less stressful. She sat between Hop and Marnie, staring distantly at the cieling as they waited for the fourth contestant to arrive.

Piers called Marnie on the rotom phone, so she stepped out to talk to her big brother and pump herself up for the upcoming battle. This left Mae and Hop alone for a moment. The silence hung between them comfortably, like a familiar blanket.

"Sooooo... Can I talk to you about somethin, Hop?"

He didn't even get to open his mouth- she barelled onward before she could get cold feet.

"Raihan's a bad dude, right? Like, he's kind of creepy?"  
"N... No...?"  
"Ah."  
"Why?"  
"He's, like. He's... S... Sss...."  
"..."  
"sssuuuuper cute and I hate it."

A laugh, and a slap to her back that was enough to startle the older woman. She sat up straighter, shooting the boy a glare. "Is that really it, Mae?! You had me worried about somethin, like you were gonna throw the match!"

Cheeks burned hotter, and Maelie turned to face away from Hop.

"Fine. Whatever. Forget I said anything."  
"?! I didn't even-- No! If you like him go for it!"  
"Go for _what_ exactly?"  
"... You know, I don't rightly know."

It was at that point that Maelie lifted her leg only to kick Hop off the end of the bench. _Even she had her limit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that was the clumsiest way to exposite some information but thats fine too.
> 
> you can dislike mae as a protag at this point. ill allow it. she doesnt show her best colors here.


	5. all i do is win win win

Did Maelie feel bad for pushing Hop over? No. Not really. He didn't let her run away from her problems and just made it even more confusing! Bastard. She was going to show him up the only way she knew how- by wiping his team with hers with glee.

...

Okay, maybe that was a _bit_ excessive. She honestly felt like a bully at this point, she was still older than him. Why was she even telling a kid about her confliction with her love life?! Embarrassment swallowed the young woman, and she pressed her hands to her face and groaned. She couldn't even properly apologize as Hop went out to the pitch to fight one of the only League competitors left.

"Sorry, uh, am I interrupting somethin'?"

Mae lifted her gaze to see Marnie, and straightened in her seat. Was she supposed to be mad? Was she glad? Marnie was talking to her! Quick, say something witty.

"Your brother found my Chatter account."

That was decidedly not witty. For her effort, Marnie gave a raise of her brow, but didn't seem to know what to say. Maelie didn't blame her. She didn't know what to say, either. Awkward silence hung between them for a long moment, up until Hop had won his battle and it was Marnie's and Mae's turn to go up as they were next on the roster.

The time for talking was done, so they both made their way out onto the pitch. Marnie said some poetic lines about becoming the champion that Maelie wondered had been what she was going to say to her in the locker room, but... Well. The battle was over before it began.

Looks like the little sister was going to become the leader of Spikemuth after all. Where would that leave Piers? Would he be looking to settle down, or would he take the opportunity to explore the rest of the world?

Johto was nice. Mae wouldn't mind the idea of going to Johto with him.

Wait what?

Maelie was painfully aware that her experience with both Piers and Raihan was painfully shallow, making all the imaginings that seemed to force themselves in her head _painfully shallow._ She had literally done the next best thing to blocking Piers after one message. _One!_

Besides, hadn't she _just_ been whining to Hop that _Raihan_ was cute? Get it together, girl. Don't be greedy. Speaking of...

"Hoooooop," Maelie cried as she trudged back into the locker room. "I have another probleeeeemmmm."

* * *

"You can't like _both_ Will and Volkner. They're not even in the same region! Don't be greedy." The words were said with a laugh, and Mae laughed along even as the words hung heavy on her shoulders. That was right. She couldn't like both of them... It was unrealistic, anyway. When would she ever visit Sinnoh _or_ Johto?

Mae tucked her hair behind an ear, staring down at the magazine that decided it would be fun to rank all League Members in order of _hotness._ Silly teen mags.

"Yeah... I mean I'd never meet them anyway... I just like options..."

* * *

Hop was quite patient with Maelie, the poor lad. He listened to her woes and conflict until it was time to head onto the pitch. That's right. That means she moaned at him for about five minutes, which doesn't seem like a long time until you take into account the fact that she was talking about matters he simply did not give one single hoot about.

Still, he was a good listener, and gave quiet noises that indicated he was still paying attention, even if he wasn't. She didn't double check. She didn't seem to even care. Maelie just wanted someone to listen, so he'd let that be him and maybe... Just maybe... He'd learn the secrets she had to having beat him thus far.

No such luck. The whistle for them to head onto the pitch was sounded, and Maelie was up on her feet gushing over Hop's willingness to be a friend. He gives a smile, subtly tired in the tilt, but she had her back turned to him without even noticing. Wow. How could someone have so much energy for such little things? She seemed much more subdued when it wasn't just the two of them.

The young teen stood and stretched his arms over his head before clapping himself on the cheeks lightly to focus. This was it! The defining hour. He was going to win against Maelie, and then...! His brother!

* * *

"Hey you! You're a challenger, right?" Mae turned to see a diminutive kid, no taller than she was, gesturing to her. She looked around the area blandly, then pointed back at herself. The kid nods, assuring that he was indeed talking to her.

"... Yes?" She sounded confused, and rightfully so.

"You seem a bit old, but no matter! I'm going to beat you in preparation for when I face my brother!"

What? That was so rude! Mae's cheeks begin to flush with awkward heat, shoulders stiffening in indignance. You...! She was going to beat him!

* * *

"Intelleon!" Came the cry of dismay from the boy who Mae now considered a little brother of sorts. Her brow tented, and she gave a mild huff through her nose. She felt kind of bad... He kept broadcasting his choices, giving her an eager run down of what pokemon he wanted to use next. It wasn't something uncommon in battling, of course, but it did make strategizing a bit... Silly.

Still, one did need a certain level of skill to even get this far. While her team wasn't perfectly balanced, it could still handle most type match ups. Hop's was far more balanced than hers, but... Well... At that point it just came to a matter of using the right move at the right time.

The teen seemed to perk himself up shortly after, clearly still disappointed but willing to be a good sport about it. "I knew I chose a great rival!" Mae gave him a nervous smile, and a loose shrug.

With the semi-finals and two more wins under her belt, it was time to wait for the Finals. It was occurring a day or two later, allowing the gym leaders to make their way to Wyndon at their own pace in case they had some loose ends to tie up. It was never set when the last trainers of the league would finish, either having given up after one too many losses or being the one to face the leaders head on tournament style.

Unfortunately, this gave Maelie way too much time to psych herself out and without Hop or Marnie around to take the brunt of her nervous energy she found herself turning to her rotom phone.

She shouldn't, but Arceus. She was so nosy. Curious. Terrified.

She downloaded Chatter.

_Ping!_

_You have 5 new Direct Messages!_

🐦[5 days ago] **@dragonheart** : [ _image attached_ ]  
🐦[5 days ago] **@dragonheart** : look at these cute baby dreepy!  
🐦[22 hours ago] **@dragonheart** : congrats! see you at the finals huh? ;) wear somethin cute  
🐦[11:54am] **@maedayparade** : no  
🐦[12:04pm] **@dragonheart** : u rly came back just to shoot me down again huh  
🐦[12:06pm] **@maedayparade** : no im just not allowed  
🐦[12:06pm] **@dragonheart** : o! lolol i forgot. sucks to be a challenger  
🐦[12:07pm] **@maedayparade** : u couldn't handle me in my cutest outfit anyway

Okay, well that was three... Where were the other two? Mae had been kind of hoping Raihan was all of them... After all, he took a lot of photos. It'd make sense! But since she followed him now, she guessed he wouldn't personally dm her them all.

Before she perused his gallery however, she'd just quickly find... ah.

🐦[4 days ago] **@SpikemuthPiers** : you doin alright? raihan said he couldn't get to you and asked me to try. Arceus knows why.  
🐦[23 hours ago] **@SpikemuthPiers** : congrats. see you soon.

What were with these gym leaders dming her for congratulations? She didn't get messages from anyone else... Then again, Nessa and Sonia both called her.

...

WERE THEY TRYING TO PSYCH HER OUT? AGAIN? Probably not Raihan because they _did_ talk a bit before she just went Ghost-type, but she never even replied to Piers the first time. Maelie prinched at the bridge of her nose, trying to decide if she should reply to Piers or not. It'd be rude not to...

🐦[12:22pm] **@maedayparade** : heeeeyyy  
🐦[12:22pm] **@maedayparade** : sry i didnt see your messages sooner  
🐦[12:24pm] **@SpikemuthPiers** : It's cool. You've been busy, huh? :)

It took all of Mae's willpower not to just throw the phone again.

🐦[12:25pm] **@maedayparade** : haha yea. im lowkey stressing out  
🐦[12:27pm] **@SpikemuthPiers** : dont you have an amped toxtricity just for that?  
🐦[12:27pm] **@SpikemuthPiers** : vibe with him and everything will be ok  
🐦[12:27pm] **@maedayparade** : easy for you to say mr. 7th gym leader!  
🐦[12:28pm] **@SpikemuthPiers** : haha yeah i guess i do have a bit of practice  
🐦[12:28pm] **@SpikemuthPiers** : but doesnt that mean you should trust my methods more?  
🐦[12:30pm] **@maedayparade** : hmm... ill consider it. if it doesnt work and i lose im blaming u tho  
🐦[12:35pm] **@SpikemuthPiers** : haha fair enough

He had a point, anyway. He would know best how to get rid of performance jitters, wouldn't he? Maelie still couldn't figure out why he was helping her, though.

Predictably, downloading Chatter did little to ease her nerves. While scrolling down her timeline to see all the pokemon pictures posted by the gym leaders was cathartic, it was equally intimidating. It seemed like they were always training- or maybe downloading Chatter just to cyberstalk them the day before she fought them was a bad idea.

Either way, this was her life now.

Besides, it wasn't all bad. Raihan took just as many photos of himself as he did his pokemon and, uh. Well. Needless to say, Maelie was enjoying the view. Of course, it wasn't anything risque, but... Sometimes she could see a peek of skin between his sweater and his shorts, or the angle had his sleeves hanging off his arms _just_ so and she could see the definition hidden underneath.

The more she looked at him, the more she realized that he was more than a bit conventionally attractive, and it didn't help that she was painfully aware of his advances on her. Had she been flirting back? She wasn't sure what would constitute as flirting.

Deciding her brain couldn't deal with that level of conflict, Maelie instead decided to mull over... Piers. Yes. That was perfectly reasonable and would not affect her in any way. Look! It was a video. Piers was way too subdued to do anything excessive in a video like Raihan was- and, _and_ it was a recording from a recent concert.

She pressed play and listened to the sweet melody of the Spikemuth gym leader, head tilting as she allowed herself to be lost in the music. Her head bobbed lazily to the beat, eyes sliding shut to focus on the music.

Maelie had forgotten she was actually in _public_ doing all this nonsense, lounging on a bench near the Wyndon fountain. Well, she'd forgotten until something tickled her cheek. Amaranth eyes snap open, gaze sliding hard to the side only to be met with a wall of black and white. No, not a wall- a _curtain._

"That was a chill gig. You like the song?"

Maelie found herself at a loss for words as she saw Piers leaning close to her, lazy gaze fixated on the screen of her phone where the video was beginning to loop. Having apparently exhausted his interest in his own performance, he finally decided to focus on Maelie herself.

Noticing her expression of blatant shock, Piers did the last thing Mae ever wanted him to do- and by that, she meant the first thing.

He smiled- a smile so sweet and demure and _fucking sly_ that Maelie's face flushed. She could feel the heat coloring her skin right up to the tips of her ears, and her mouth flapped as she struggled to find the words. Any words. Literally even just a single word.

"... Hi?"

That was _his_ voice, she still hadn't said anything! Fuck! Shit! For the love of..!!!

"Hhh.... Hhhhh.... Hhhiii...."

It both squeaked and wavered, and Maelie thought she was going to die there. Instead of the laugh she expected, however, Piers gave a lazy smile as though it were the most natural reaction in the world.

Smug bastard.


	6. high stress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank yall for the support! this is meant to be something super for me but I'm so soft from all the encouragement I've gotten so far, both from here and my friends. I'm super super flattered!!! I hope I don't disappoint hhhh/////
> 
> but even if i do thats ok because its for me HAHA i have cracked the code

This was one of the most awkward, if not most awkward situations Maelie had ever been in. She stared away from Piers, slurping through the straw of her water bottle as she kicked her feet lazily. They didn't reach the floor...

The young woman peeked at Piers- specifically his legs. They were thin, to match his lanky body and further exemplified by the skin tight shorts he wore that trailed down to his knees. It didn't leave much to the imagination... Or did it...?

No. It didn't. It was kind of a wonder, since as far as muscle tone went he seemed second last only to Allister. The most frustrating part, to Maelie at least, was that his feet settled flat on the plane of the concret below their bench. She was forcibly reminded that she was only slightly taller than his _baby sister_ and kicked her feet more furiously.

"Are you nervous?"

The question stills her quiet little tantrum, legs pausing midswing before letting gravity carry them to be perpendicular to the ground they didn't even touch. Was she nervous? What an interesting question.

Another long slurp.

"Not really," she found herself answering honestly. "I did what I could to get here. I've gotten farther than anyone else I know. All I need to do left is beat Leon."

Piers raised an eyebrow, and Maelie felt like there was something she didn't know-- or was forgetting. Both were very likely. The pastel trainer blinked blandly as she mulled over the expression.

"There's a reason the Gym Leaders have to come 'round, you know," he gently nudged her verbally to her own conclusion. He'd be waiting a while, but that was fine. Piers was a patient man.

KlingKlang cycled in her skull for a long moment before one hand flew to her mouth as realization dawned on her.

"I'm fighting you guys again?!" she all but squeaked. She thought she was done! It took all her willpower to beat Raihan the _first_ time! Not because it was exceptionally hard, but because he was a fucking thirst trap!

Piers gave a quiet chuckle and a nod, apparently unsurprised by her own shocked reaction. "One more run through a bracket...?" That was the only way she could imagine it'd be fair. No way her and her pokemon could crunch through 8 gym leaders and the champion without being exhausted afterward.

Hell, if that was the case, it was no wonder Leon was undefeated!

Once again, Piers bobbed his head in a lazy nod, ankles crossing over eachother as he leaned forward. "I'm sure you'll do fine. Even without Dynamaxing, your pokemon seem more than up to the challenge." A pause. "But, well... This is Wyndon Stadium, after all..."

The implication hung in the air; the crowd would be expecting some. Maelie glanced at Piers. The time she'd spent with him, short as it was, told her that he had no plan on using it. That was fine, she figured. At least eight other people would be... He was strong enough without it.

Piers and Mae enjoyed each other's company for a while more, the silence filled with some idle chatter. It was quite relaxing, and Maelie only noticed the lack of tension in her shoulders when it returned- thanks to Piers patting her back. Thanks dude.

He must have noticed the vague discomfort, because his hand fell away pretty quickly.

"It's getting late..." He observed, to which Maelie stared at him blankly for a moment.

"Uh huh." "We should be getting ready for tomorrow..."

It took a bit more of leading like that for Maelie to be 'convinced' that she should be heading back to her room in the hotel. Piers offered to walk her back, to which she gratefully agreed. A taxi or that weird tube thing was right there, but... Well, wandering the city at dusk with just Piers sounded nice...

...

Well, it _sounded_ nice, but in practice, Maelie found herself staring rather intently at her shoes. Ever since beating Opal and retrieving the Fairy Gym uniform, she didn't have it in her to take off the cute pink and mint sneakers. They were comfortable, of course, made for Pokemon training and the like, and Maelie found herself fixating on ever scuff and speck of dirt clinging to the pale surface. Should she clean her shoes...? It wouldn't matter, since she couldn't even pick her own outfit for the challenges.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Huh? Oh. They were there already?! Maelie found herself looking around herself like a lost Yamper, and Piers gave a breathy laugh. Her cheeks flushed deeply to a crimson red, and her shoulders hunched all over again.

"Aw... Don't worry, doll. You're not nearly as bad as Leon was his first time."

Huh? Huh? What did that mean? What _exactly_ was bad? Maelie blinked rapidly, mouth flapping uselessly as Piers pat her head affectionately. She... She wasn't a kid! She was older than everyone else that made it this far!

"Piers...!" She all but squealed, and that seemed enough to cause him to hesitate. Had that been the first time she used his name? His gaze wasn't on her face anymore, causing her eyebrows to tent with worry. Had that been too forward? What had happened.

Piers fixed her hat by the bill, pulling it forward from where it'd been misplaced by his pat, and she squeaked, vision briefly obscured.

"Get some rest. I can show you how hard my pokemon can rock without you being sleep deprived." Maelie did not point out that it wasn't nearly time for bed, having it only being dusk. When she lifted the bill to her hat again, she could only see Piers back as he trudged off to... Wherever it was he was planning on going. Did he have something else to do...?

Without thinking much of it, Maelie turned to head inside herself, jogging past the clerk to the fancy, gold plated elevator doors. It was a bit excessive to have as a trainer, considering she spent the better part of her journey roughing it in a tent, but maybe this was a reward for being a finalist.

* * *

Piers wouldn't be able to keep his self-made promise to Maelie that day. The day of the finals, against his best efforts, Raihan battered even his Obstagoon down with his gigantamaxed Duralodon. The performer sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he couldn't help but be disappointed despite himself.

Raihan was being an absolute tool about it, as per usual, but that wasn't what was eating at Piers. It only took one look at the bracket to see that Mae was moving forward quickly, beating not only Nessa and Allister, but even the surprise Bede. He had wanted to show her what his _real_ team was capable of, too...

Piers wasn't the only one disappointed. When she had seen the matchup of Piers against Raihan, she knew the likelihood of meeting the Spikemuth leader on the pitch would be slim. It didn't keep her from being devastated when she saw Raihan's name move ahead, regardless.

"Piers!" She whined from the bench she was watching the battle on, stomping her feet. Her gaze was fixated on her Rotom phone, and once again, she didn't notice the approach of someone else to sit beside her.

"Girl, you're gonna break my heart," came the heavy, dramatic sigh. Maelie was _sure_ she'd jumped several feet in the air, and would have at the very least landed hard on the polished floor if a strong hand hadn't caught her upper arm. As it was, her phone flew from her hands, but- well, it could take care of itself.

An indignant buzz as it avoided colliding with the floor itself, floating high instead and circling Maelie and her... 'savior.' Pronounced fang was as visible as ever, and oh boy. He smelt really good this close, even if she could see the remnants of his pokemon's sandstorm on his clothes and in his hair.

In an attempt to focus on anything but his face, Maelie focused instead on that, brushing off a bit of dust from his shoulder. This seemed to surprise Raihan, but it didn't take long for him to burst into raucous laughter. His grip loosened, then released her when he was sure Mae was steady.

"Were you hopin' Piers would win? Raihan doesn't play like that..." _although_ he did give me a bit of a run for my money..." The dragon tamer rubbed at his chin thoughtfully as he reflected on the battle. It certainly wasn't an _easy_ win.

His attention trailed back to Maelie when she doesn't react immediately, and is taken aback when she seems frozen in the pose she'd taken when she first noticed him- hands and knees pulled close to her chest. What was... What was with that defensive pose?!

Raihan was in a sudden flurry, unsure of how to treat the clearly distressed woman, especially knowing it was a result of _his_ presence somehow. His hands hovered over her in several different spots, aqua eyes blown wide as he struggled to think of a way to fix whatever it was he had done.

It seemed enough to break Maelie out of her shell, and she laughed. It was high pitched, with a bit more than a tinge of nervousness but... Overall, somewhat natural.

"Raihan...!"

Raihan... It was Raihan. Oh Arceus, it was Raihan. Maelie's cheeks felt hot with the proximity, but he looked so stressed out from shocking her that she couldn't help but be endeared. Guess he wasn't so cocky in all situations, huh?

Her calling his name seemed to calm him down, and noticing that she had relaxed, he did the thing she didn't _quite_ want him to do. A strong arm hooks around her waist, pulling her closer to him (and away from the edge of the bench) and...

"Augh!"

"Sorry!" Mae whined, but kept her hands planted on Raihan's face to push him back. H-He was the one she was going to fight next! This wasn't very good for her-- Oh!!! Raihan! He was doing it again! The small woman fumed, stamping her feet even as the man began to pull back. She wasn't sorry, actually!

"Damn, could just say you're not interested..." Raihan sighed, and it was so close to a whine Maelie almost assured him it was quite alright, she just.. It was just...

"I don't appreciate these tricks, Raihan!" she snapped suddenly, bouncing to her feet and bounding out to the pitch before him.

Raihan ran a hand down his face, watching after the young woman's back and breathing out through his nose. "What tricks..." he mulled to himself. He wasn't sure if she actually was just very shy, or if he was just overstepping boundaries.

He got the answer when he came out to meet her, waving to the crowd and taking a pre-victory selfie only to notice her watching him with a hand over her mouth. Her cheeks were a deep red, and it must be rather embarrassing to be blushing so fiercely in a stadium that the whole region was watching.

"Calm down, Princess! I'm not gonna go easy on ya just 'cause you're super cute."

This. This was not the right thing to say in this situation, he quickly found out. Somehow, Maelie beat down his team even faster than during the gym challenge, even with the stuttered commands. He tried his best of course, trying to use that flustered reaction to his advantage, but... It had the entirely opposite reaction.

This was the first time in a while Raihan lost to anyone but Leon, and his shoulders and head slumped forward. A heavy sigh, and he straightened with his hands behind his back.

"Whatever. I'll forgive you since you're so cute- I still look good, anyway."

"HUH?!" The reaction was exactly what he wanted, and the giant of a man gave the tiny woman a feral grin. To his delight, he was met with a full-face flush before Maelie knelt suddenly to hide her face.

"Sorry, sorry!" A laugh, and he turned to get off the pitch. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you do to Leon now, though! Maybe he's finally met his match."

Admittedly, Raihan couldn't help but be a bit bitter. No- Maelie would lose to Leon just like everyone else, and he'd be the one to dethrone the king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um! i actually draw a lot of Raihan and a lot a lot of my trainers Mae and Lacie (the protag for my Leon/oc fic) and post them to twitter! If you're interested in screaming with me about my biases my twitter is here: https://twitter.com/reddouka
> 
> i love piers a lot but thinking about him for longer than 2 seconds makes me very flustered so i need to build a buffer against him first. he's just. really hot.


	7. starlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i graduated from college so now i have more time to be a raccoon and thrive on trash. anyway thats why this took so long. i have commissions i need to do so ill probably update this every other day and worst in me the days i dont update this one, if i have time. 
> 
> thanks for reading!

Raihan's hope to beat Leon died that day. It seemed like Maelie made quick work even of him, and though he teased the former Champion for it incessantly, it was pretty blatant he wasn't going to take it lying down.

Every time Maelie was in Wyndon, he challenged her. She humored him well enough, but it felt like she won even more easily after every practice. It was a bit disheartening... She must have noticed, too, because she stopped smiling when he approached.

* * *

"For Arceus' sake, this is stupid," Maelie muttered to herself as she chased a pair of absolute _clowns_ around Galar. Hop laughed, patting her back softly while Piers sighed.

"At least they're not going to Spikemuth."

Spikemuth _this,_ Marnie _that._ Maelie loved Marnie too, but she was clearly safe! Didn't Piers think about anything else?! Maelie gave him a sidelong scowl, shoulders slumped. Whatever she'd felt between them while she was in Spikemuth and just before the Finals seemed to have been completely forgotten.

* * *

Two years. It's been two years since Maelie dethroned Leon, and nothing had changed. Was this the stagnancy Leon had to deal with since he was, what, ten? Maelie groaned to herself, stretching her upper half out over her dining table while glaring at her rotom phone. She talked to the gym leaders far more than she thought she would after this- no idea why she was surprised. Of course she'd get to know them, she was part of the league now.

Hell, she even got invited to a private Discord server just for the gym leaders and champion. It was really fun, to be quite honest, and she remembered the days when she was a challenger and fucked around in _that_ server. It kind of sucked near the end, honestly, since so many people dropped out...

Somehow, the leader server was smaller, but far more active. Probably because these people knew each other for so long. She felt kind of... Distant. It was probably different without Leon. Ten whole years, huh...

Maelie watched the app open absently. inkay icon spinning as she went through her morning routine, hair tie between her lips as she coaxed her hair into a messy bun. The messages that loaded surprised her for a moment, and she almost spit the band out.

[7:54 AM] Great Raihan: Mae mae   
[7:54 AM] Great Raihan: Maeeeee   
[7:54 AM] Great Raihan: MAEby she's still asleep   
[7:55 AM] Raging Tide: mby she's ignoring you   
[7:55 AM] Great Raihan: no i kno shes watching   
[7:56 AM] maelie: hi?   
[7:56 AM] Great Raihan: SEE i kno my girl   
[7:57 AM] maelie: not ur girl   
[7:57 AM] Piers: not your girl   
[7:57 AM] Raging Tide: not ur girl   
[7:57 AM] Morpekish: not ur girl lmao   
[7:58 AM] Great Raihan: hey!

Maelie snorted through her nose, finishing her quick updo. After a bit more of some tiring back and forth with Raihan, Nessa invited her over right in the group chat. What a good wing woman, rubbing in Raihan and Piers' face that she was hanging out with her.

She texts Hop to meet at the lighthouse Hulbury, bouncing down the steps from her flat in Wyndon towards the nearest Corviknight Taxi.

Whatever sullen thoughts had settled over Maelie with regards to how little she felt she knew the other gym leaders, Nessa knew the perfect way to ease them out of her mind without even saying a thing. It turns out she had managed to get Milo and Kabu to join them too- which was particularly impressive to her. Neither were all that interested in chatting online, for different reasons of course. Milo, being busy tending to wooloo herds, and Kabu being... Well, old.

Not that there was any lack of trying on either part. They did pop into the server every once in a while, when they remembered it existed. Maelie gives them each a brief hug, squealing when Milo all but lifts her off her feet. Hop comes not long after, Sonia in tow, and Maelie feels warmth bubble in her chest. She may be at a bit of a loss, but at least she had friends...

A rowdy get together that goes well into sunset, and then they part ways. Then the next day comes, and it's different yet the same.

Maelie was quickly learning that she wasn't much one for routine. She opens herself up for challengers, and Raihan is there again.

"I feel like you've been avoiding me, Mae~" He coos, and she huffs. Not long after, she's still the champion and Raihan is sulking about it. Yeah? Then sulk.

It kind of sucked that that was the only reason he was ever there... And she hadn't really been able to see Piers yet, even if she invited him. He came, of course, too much a gentleman not to, but... Ah... All she ever saw was his name on the roster.

"Hey, Champion."

The low voice held the intimacy of a whisper, though it wasn't nearly so close. It was enough to startle the pink-haired trainer, shoulders stiffening as she bristled and whipped around. Oh! She was caught staring at the roster-- She'd invited him again and-- _Oh._

Piers looked as relaxed as ever, one hand on his hip while he fiddled absently with the charm on his choker. Maelie's cheeks began to heat up slowly, shocked at herself for being surprised to see him here. Though he wasn't a gym leader anymore, she still... She must have just been used to never seeing him.

Noting her silence, he gives her one of his lazy smile and drops the fidgeting hand. "Been a while." He kept speaking, and it took all Maelie's will to force herself to say something. _Anything!_

"Ah! Aha, yeah..." Nice. Smooth as silk. You're going places, girl. Silence hangs between them for another long moment, and Piers decided to take initiative. Oh thank Arceus.

"You should come by Spikemuth sometime. I'm still doing concerts, yanno. Might even start touring soon..." Maelie stares at him with wide eyes, dumbfounded. Piers gives an amused scoff, and reached out to ruffle the shorter girl's hair. Maelie was certain her cheeks matched the shade of her strawberry blonde locks. "See you soon?"

Maelie gulped, and nodded rapidly. She didn't know when, but she was definitely going to head over. She hadn't seen Marnie in a few months, either... She felt a bit bad for that, but the young new gym leader was busy making Spikemuth somewhere people _wanted_ to be again.

* * *

"Oh, I don't know..."

The uncertain tone made Bede snort, even as he focused on brushing the mane of his Rapidash.

"That's the same kinda shit that got you into this mess, Mae."

Pale cheeks flushed, and she glared at the floor with a sigh. " _I'm_ the Champion. I'm the one who _wins._ " She murmured under her breath in an attempt to psych herself up, and it awarded her a cold laugh from the blonde she had sought the advice of.

"Well, I can't say that you're wrong, or that's not one way to do it, but uh..." He trailed off, looking at her pointedly and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, very mature."

A laugh, and comfortable silence settled between them again. With a flick of his wrist, Bede ensured that no dust settled on the coat of his pokemon before returning them to their pokeball.

"Look, Mae, either you get over whatever this-" he gestures to all of her, "is, or you go and take shit for yourself. It might not turn out how you wanted, but, well..." A shrug. "It could be better, too. Trust me, I know."

The look he gives himself is enough for Maelie to bark a laugh, sliding across the bench she was settled on to be closer to Bede and pulling him into a hug. "You've gotten surprisingly modest!"

The young man scoffs. "Comes with losing a lot. Well, against you. I can still beat just about anyone else." This awards him another laugh, and mussed hair (with plenty of complaining on his part, of course.)

"You know what? You're alright, Bede." The Fairy gym leader rolls his eyes and glares away from the thorn in his side, pale cheeks coloring with the slightest hint of a flush. Maelie watched gleefully, lips pulled in a cattish smile as her eyes narrowed.

"Cute..."   
"Just get out."

* * *

Maelie stared up to the divet that she knew held the shutter door, pausing just outside the entrance to Spikemuth. This was ridiculous. She was _here._ All she had to do was take a few steps forward, and she'd be able to see-- Not Piers, _Marnie._ She was here for Marnie. It'd been way too long since she met with her, and she never did take the young woman up on training with her, or whatnot. It was just coincidence Piers found her in Wyndon and invited her over for a gig. This was unrelated- she'd been planning to visit anyway!

Before she could get cold feet, one of the Team Yell-- er, Spikemuth trainers spotted her, and shouted a greeting. Maelie opened her mouth to speak, but then they were running full throttle down the straightaway to let Marnie know she came to cheer her on.

Aah... Guess it was too late to turn back now. Maelie rolled forward on the balls of her feet before finally bouncing into the town. She didn't even have to pass the little booth that signalled the start of the gym challenge to spot the gym leader herself approaching. They kind of moved fast now, huh?

"Fight me."   
"Huh?"

Maelie hadn't seen Marnie in months, and she had never come along to challenge either. At least not that she could remember... She'd definitely never made it past Raihan or Hop, if that was the case.

Nooo... Maelie would have remembered her name, at the very least.

While Mae was lost in thought, Marnie was walking back towards the small stadium used for pokemon battles, and... She didn't have any other choice than to follow.

...

Well, she _did_ but she didn't want to be rude.

Maybe she should have. One Creampy sweep later, Marnie seemed... Hm. Out of sorts was a way to put it. She kept her eyes closed for a long moment after and Maelie worried over the silence that hung between them. Maelie opens her mouth to try and (awkwardly) break it when Marnie beat her to it.

Sea green eyes snap open, and Maelie was surprised to see that Marnie seemed genuinely happy.

"You're just as good as ever, Maelie. Will you teach me?"

Maelie's mouth flaps uselessly for a long moment, caught off guard before she finally manages a nod. She'd never been asked to teach anyone before... A part of her really wanted to help Marnie beat her, too. She was _sooooo_ cute!

It takes just a few moments to examine the little lady's spread and identify the problem areas. It was better than the average trainer, of course, but not quite 'champion worthy.' Marnie didn't have anything for fighting types, and barely had a cover for fairies. It didn't help that the pokemon was slow as hell.

She chatted with Marnie over potential options while keeping the dark theme well into the day, running back and forth from the stadium to the man in the pokemon center that taught old moves to see if any of them would round out the team any better.

Before Maelie knew it, it was dinner time and she had _completely_ missed lunch, making for a very hungry Champion. Without thinking much of it, she whined to her newly acquired little protege, laying across the young girl's lap quite dramatically, with a hand thrown over her forehead. Marnie was laughing, opting to feed her Morpeko instead of _her_ , the audacity! Nevermind that its entire life was based around being hangry, she was a friend!

"If you're that hard up for some food, I made some extra for dinner in case you were staying."

That... Wasn't Marnie's voice. Maelie had almost forgotten that a part of the reason she came was to see Piers perform, and heat rushed to her cheeks.

If she didn't look, he wasn't there. That's how that worked, right?


End file.
